With undrafted rookie free agent fullback Monte Pottebaum shockingly retiring Sunday just a few days into training camp for the Pittsburgh Steelers, an opportunity opened up at the position.
That opportunity was seized Friday night during the Steelers’ Friday Night Lights practice at Latrobe Memorial Stadium by none other than center Kendrick Green.
Wait, WHAT?
Green, a former third-round pick out of Illinois who started 15 games as a rookie in 2021 and then spent the 2022 season inactive on the 53-man roster at guard, received some fullback reps Friday night in front of the 13,000 fans packed into the high school stadium to watch another padded practice.
According to Steelers Depot’s own Alex Kozora, Green saw reps at fullback and even caught a pass in the flat, running over veteran linebacker Toby Ndukwe for a 10-yard gain.
Well, that’s one way to try and ensure you have a roster spot moving forward. Versatility is the name of the game, after all.
With Pottebaum retired and likely heading back to the family farm in Iowa, and former fullback Derek Watt still a free agent and very unlikely to reunite with the Steelers, Pittsburgh has to find a way to fill out the fullback reps offensively. Initially, the thought was that tight end Connor Heyward could take some of those reps for the Steelers, considering he was a running back in college at Michigan State before switching positions.
That still might be the case, but the Steelers are very clearly experimenting, giving Green some reps there Friday night.
Green at fullback is something that Steelers Depot’s Dave Bryan opined about over the last few years, and it’s something that former linebacker Vince Williams also called for. Seems like the Steelers were listening.
We’ll see if he gets reps in preseason action at fullback, but Friday night’s reps were certainly eye-opening for Green.
